Jasmine's Dark Backstory
When the school day ended, Zinnia used the school's telegraph line to contact her house and let her parents know she would be gone for a few extra hours. Her mother was fine with it and convinced her husband that it would be fine. Zinnia was happy to know that she was allowed to stay out so long as she was back by seven. When she was finished, she caught up with Jasmine. They were conferring about how Zinnia believed what her powers felt like and how strong she felt using them. "You do believe me, don't you?" Zinnia asked her teacher. "Oh, I believe that you should believe in whatever power you think you have inside of you," Jasmine replied. "Believe it with all your heart." On their way to Jasmine's home, they passed by a large townhouse. Jasmine paused for a moment and gave a saddened sigh. "That's where Mirage lives." Zinnia frowned as she noticed the sad face on her teacher. Then she noticed a swing out on a tree in the yard. "Why is there a swing?" "A girl I know used to live there." Jasmine sighed as she urged the child to continue walking. The scene changed to what looked like a young Jasmine sitting near a lit fireplace. On both sides were her parents. Her mother, the Sultana was reading an unscrolled roll of parchment, and her father, the Sultan, a book. "Her life was good and happy." The scene changed to Sultan walking out of a room and into the hall where the young Jasmine stood, and Sultan picked him up, walking away with him. "But when she was just two years old, her mother died," Jasmine continued. "Her father was a doctor and needed someone to look after things at home, so he invited the mother's step-sister to come and live with him." The scenes changed every time Jasmine proceeded with her story. Sultan and young Jasmine were walking out the front door to meet a figure stepping out of a carriage. "But the girl's aunt was a mean person who treated the girl very badly," Jasmine said. Sultan put down his napkin after wiping his mouth and getting up from the breakfast table. Sultan kissed the girl on her cheek. After he left, the figure of the aunt's arm slithered by the side and roughly, but slowly grabbed her shoulder. "The Mirage." Zinnia interpreted. "Yes..." Jasmine said, "And worst of all when the girl was five, her father died." "How did her father die?" Zinnia asked. "The authorities decided he killed himself," Jasmine replied. Zinnia felt something was not right. "Why would he do such a thing?" she asked, but Jasmine answered with "No one knows." Four men carried a covered body of what was Sultan's, as the young Jasmine sat alone on the swing, silent. With her hands behind her back, Mirage walked up to the swing where young Jasmine sat, and put a hand on her shoulder. The flashback ended, and Jasmine and Zinnia walked through a field of trees, bushes and other flowers. "The end is happier," said Jasmine as they continued to walk. "She found a small cottage, she rented it from this lovely rhubarb farmer for just fifteen dirhams a month, she covered in honeysuckle, she planted hundreds of other wildflowers, finally moved out of her wicked aunt's house, and finally got her freedom." "Good for her," Zinnia smiled. "Do you know why I told you this?" Jasmine asked her, and Zinnia shook her head. "I am afraid so, my young pupil. Oroku Saki had once been my best friend, raised as my brother from early childhood." Yoshi sighed as he remembered the day his wife had died, along with his daughter, and the day his best friend had started acting so hostile towards them. Leonardo kept silent as his eyes widened. He had noticed something. Yoshi noticed his eldest son's fearful look with concern. "What is it, my son?" Leonardo looked up at his father and just shook his head. "Just another headache, father. Nothing to be concerned about." He then jumped into the sewer tunnels with Donatello and Yoshi right behind him, sealing off the tunnel. While the others were used to travelling through the sewers by now, Donatello was struggling to make his way. Leonardo grabbed the young boy's hand and led him through the system towards the subway station that was their home. While Master Splinter started to make some tea and cookies, the four boys gathered in what was known as Michelangelo's room. Donatello was looking at the eldest with concern. "Are you okay, Leo?" "I'm fine, Don. Just another headache. I get them a lot, especially when I near the old place." Leonardo just grimaced. "Yeah, it's because he senses his twin, Miwa." Michelangelo grimaced. Donatello frowned in confusion. 'Why is that name so familiar…?' "Mikey!" Raphael grumbled. He did not want the new kid knowing about their powers just yet. They hadn't even told their other friends at school! "Relax, Raph. Don's got a power too!" "HUH?" The older boys were now confused. "You mean you believe me, Mikey?" "Well, DUH! I saw you do it! Nice work by the way." "Heh, thanks." "Saw him do what?" Raphael was getting impatient as usual. "He used his big brain of his to move the principal's glass to spill onto him. Oh, and apparently, Master Saki can really dance!" Michelangelo started to mimic the principal's movements, making the boys chuckle slightly. Leonardo then looked back at Donatello. "So you can move objects?" "I think so. I'm sure I did." "He did, he's just not used to the powers yet because he hasn't practiced with them." Michelangelo smiled. "Mom said he'll be pretty powerful if he practices enough." "Of course she did." Raphael rolled his eyes. Donatello looked at his friend with some confusion. 'Why is he so confident in my abilities?' Raphael chuckled at Donatello's confusion. "Mikey's got this ability that lets him see our powers when they're in motion. He can also talk to ghosts… at least he says he can." "NO, just mom's ghost." "Same thing, really." "So what can you two do then?" Donatello chuckled. Leonardo bit his lip. "Um…" "Raph can turn his anger into a super strength!" Michelangelo smiled, proud of his big brother's amazing ability. "And Leo can talk…" "Could talk to my twin sister, Miwa." Leonardo interjected. "Now I just get headaches." Donatello's eyes widened as a memory came back to him. A couple of weeks after he had started going to the library and meeting with Karai, young Donatello, the four year old genius, had asked her a new kind of question. "Hey, Karai?" "Yeah, Donatello?" "You said that Karai was what your foster father called you, right?" "Yes, so?" "What did your real family call you?" Karai looked at the boy with confusion. "Why do you want to know?" "Well… I want to know so that I know more about you. Not what he wants to make you." Karai smiled at his honesty. "My real name is Miwa… it means Harmony in Japanese." Donatello shook his head, snapping out of his memory as his sensei brought the children some cookies and asked if they would all like some tea. Donatello quietly accepted the Jasmine tea with a polite "Thank you, Sensei." His mind was already racing at a hundred miles an hour once more. 'Is she the same Miwa? If so… that might explain why Mikey can only see his mother, and why both Karai and Leo have headaches! I can't say anything on it yet, but… oh man! I should have asked her last name! I should have asked where she lived! I could have brought her to meet my new friends!' The boys had started on a new subject now, and Donatello had barely caught what they were saying. "Treasures?" "Photos of Mom," Raphael supplied as he chewed on a cookie. He had a grim expression on. "My pet turtle, Spike." "My captain Ryan action figure that mom got me for Christmas one year." Leonardo put in. "My kitty, Klunk… mom got him for me when I was two, just before she died…" Michelangelo said soberly. "He's probably starving or starved to death rather, at the house." Donatello frowned. "Why don't you guys move away from here?" Leonardo and the boys looked at each other and then to Donatello. "We couldn't abandon the other kids to Oroku Saki. They need us… and Master Splinter." Michelangelo explained. "Without Leo, no one would have any courage. Without Raph, no one would be willing to stand up for others. Without Father, none of the kids would make it through the first year of school!" "Not to mention that without Mikey, none of them would know how to be optimistic." Raphael chuckled as he rubbed the younger boy's head, making him laugh. Donatello smirked, wishing he had that kind of relationship with his brother, Michael. He knew it would never be, but he could still wish for a sibling bond. "You guys are pretty brave. Are you afraid of anything?" Raphael grimaced. "Cockroaches." "Failure." Leonardo said solemnly, making Raphael look at him funny. "The Shredder… and the Chokey… and being alone…" Michelangelo kept shrinking himself down as he named off his fears until Leonardo placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Donatello thought about this for a minute. "I wonder what the Shredder's afraid of…" Category:Fan Fiction Category:Matilda Fanmakes